You can Pokémon Go to McDonald's for PokéStops and 5-star raids soon, but only for a little while

Niantic and McDonald’s are hosting a Pokémon Go x McDonald’s collaboration event where you can grab a Happy Meal and take on the mobile game’s 5-star raid challenges at the same time

Niantic

Niantic and McDonald’s are hosting a Pokémon Go x McDonald’s collaboration event where you can grab a Happy Meal and take on the mobile game’s 5-star raid challenges at the same time. Or a Big Mac or whatever your preference is. 

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Anyway, McDonald’s locations across the U.S. will host Sponsored PokéStops during specific weeks from December 2024 through March 2025. During those events, you can attract specific Pokémon with Lure Modules and hop into 5-star raid Gym challenges, though Niantic didn’t say which Pokémon might be up for grabs.

The Pokémon Go McDonald’s collaboration happens on these dates:

• Monday, December 16, to Sunday, December 22, 2024
• Monday, January 20, to Sunday, January 26, 2025
• Monday, February 10, to Sunday, February 16, 2025
• Monday, March 10, to Sunday, March 16, 2025

Niantic bringing back sponsored PokéStops is kind of a big deal, as the company website says it suspended the program a while back and was no longer taking new applications. Seeing as some locations, especially rural ones but even smaller towns, have few PokéStops and Gym locations to begin with, this little event is a nice way to make sure you get at least a few spins while you’re out and about.

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Participating companies can also choose to add little mini-games and other special offerings as their own Lure Modules to encourage customers to drop in. Niantic’s announcement didn’t say whether McDonald’s has any plans of its own for that, though it may happen as the event progresses.